[uf-discuss] Proposal: species

[Andy Mabbett]

In message <mMMjafyd$$CFFwq1 at pigsonthewing.org.uk>, Andy Mabbett
<andy at pigsonthewing.org.uk> writes

>There should, I believe, be a microformat for the markup of plant and
>animal names, to include their scientific names.

I'm tending towards this model:

        sci (scientific name)
                kingdom
                phylum
                class
                order
                family
                bin ("binomial name")
                        genus
                        species
                        sub ("subspecies")
                        var ("variety")
                        subvar ("subvariety")
                        form
                        subform
                        cult ("cultivar")
                        cultgp ("cultivar group")
                        trade ("trade name")
                        cross (e.g. "F1")
                        strain
                        authority
                        year (...of authority)
                cname ("common name")

where all except "bin" are optional, and it is possible to infer from
simply:

        <abbr class="bin" title="Anas platyrhynchos">Mallard</abbr>

or
        <span class="bin">Anas platyrhynchos</span>

that the genus is "Anas" and the species is "platyrhynchos".

(and, thus, "bin" is to "sci"; as "adr" is to "vcard")


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Other examples:

        <span class="sci">
                <span class="bin">Larus glaucoides</span>
                <span class="sub">kumlieni</span>
        </span>


        <span class="sci">
                <span class="bin">Pisum sativum</span>
                var. <span class="var">macrocarpon</span>
        </span>



        <span class="sci">
                <abbr class="bin" title="Larus thayeri">
                        <span class="common">Thayer's Gull</span>
                </abbr>
        </span>


        <span class="sci">
                <abbr class="common" title="Thayer's Gull">
                        <span class="bin" Larus thayeri</span>
                </abbr>
        </span>


        <span class="sci">
                <abbr class="kingdom" title="Fungi">
                        <span class="bin">Amanita muscaria</span>
                </abbr>
        </span>


        <span class="sci">
                <span class="bin">Pica pica</span>
                <span class="authority">Linnaeus</span>,
                (<span class="year">1758</span>)
        </span>


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Questions:

   *    Is "sci" the best attribute name for the top-level?

   *    Should "bin", var", "cult", etc., be written in full?

        (I think not, to save bloating file sizes)

   *    Should other attribute names be abbreviated for brevity?

   *    Is "class" a potentially confusing attribute name, and what
        should replace it ("taxoclass", perhaps?)

   *    What other attribute names are needed, if any (we coudl do with
        help form a taxonomist!)

   *    How to deal with:

                "Podiceps sp." (a grebe of unknown species)

   *    Should we allow divisions of "bin" with no parent "sci", such
        as:

                <span class="bin">Larus glaucoides
                        <span class="sub">kumlieni</span>
                </span>

   *    Does "year of authority" need to be an hcal?

   *    Is it too soon to put this on the Wiki?

-- 
Andy Mabbett
                Say "NO!" to compulsory ID Cards:  <http://www.no2id.net/>

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